Goonhilly Earth Station Ltd (Goonhilly) will provide deep space
communications services to the UK Space Agency and international
partners from its satellite Earth station in Cornwall, under a
new contract announced today (16 October) during the
International Astronautical Congress in Milan.
Space agencies and companies use a global network of large
antennas to communicate with, and transfer data between, their
spacecraft and controllers on Earth. As the numbers of space
missions beyond Earth orbit – to destinations including the Moon
– increase, the capacity of these existing services is reaching
their limit.
Several of the world's space agencies already share resources to
cope with high demand, but this issue is predicted to deteriorate
with the increase in robotic and human activity around the
Moon.
The UK is in a unique position to provide increased capacity
through facilities like Goonhilly, which is the world's most
experienced provider of commercial lunar and deep space
communications services. Since 2021, Goonhilly has supported over
17 spacecraft beyond geostationary orbit, including CubeSats
deployed on the Artemis-I mission. Goonhilly has also provided
services for international organisations, including ESA, ISRO,
and Intuitive Machines.
Minister for Data Protection and Telecoms, Sir , said:
Just as digital infrastructure helps us stay connected here on
Earth, this government-backed contract will play a vital role in
supporting humanity's next steps to the Moon and
beyond.
The UK has a real competitive advantage in space and I want to
exploit that to its full potential, using innovative commercial
models such as those demonstrated by Goonhilly and the UK Space
Agency to attract more investment, generate high-quality jobs and
support our international partners.
This new agreement between the UK Space Agency and Goonhilly will
help expand existing UK capabilities, unlock new and emerging
markets and support the growth of the fledgling lunar economy. It
will support Goonhilly to provide more services to international
agencies and companies to help them cope with the increasing
global demand for deep space communications. The contract is
task-based and worth up to an initial £2 million this financial
year.
Dr Paul Bate, Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency, said:
Our work with Goonhilly is a great example of how the UK can
benefit from the commercial opportunities associated with
developing the nascent lunar and deep space economy. This
contract award signals a step change in how we use different
tools as a government agency to support the growing space sector
and strengthen international partnerships.
Earth ground stations will play an increasingly important role in
every part of the sector, from supporting major UK-led missions
such as TRUTHS and Moonlight to enabling the next generation of
broadband connectivity in low Earth orbit. Developing this
critical capability will help meet both our national and
international ambitions in space.
With the rapid rise in lunar missions, including upcoming
examples like Intuitive Machines' IM-2, Astrobotic's Griffin
Mission One, and NASA's Artemis-II, the UK Space Agency
recognises the potential for Goonhilly's advanced capabilities to
ensure that deep space networks are able to support increasing
demand for communications services.
The UK Space Agency and Goonhilly will work with new
international partners to showcase the quality of Goonhilly's
state-of-the-art assets, robust processes, and expert team,
initially demonstrating downlink telemetry and navigation
services, with a long-term goal of providing uplink services to
control spacecraft in flight – services Goonhilly has already
successfully provided for a number of high profile
missions.
Executive Director of UKspace, Colin Baldwin, said:
Goonhilly Earth Station has pioneered commercial deep space
communications capabilities in the UK. This agreement will put
the UK at the heart of international missions to the Moon and
Mars, and will continue to give us a seat at the top table of
space faring nations.
As a founding member of the European Space Agency with strong
international ties beyond Europe, the UK wants to play a leading
role in addressing this issue facing the global space sector,
while supporting the development of new commercial models and
national capabilites, and attracting more investment into the
growing sector.
Matthew Cosby, CTO, Goonhilly Earth Station:
Goonhilly is at the forefront of commercial lunar and deep space
communication services, providing vital infrastructure and
expertise that supports international missions to the Moon and
beyond.
As the demand for deep space communications continues to grow,
this new contract enables us to expand our capacity, support more
missions, and play a key role in the next chapter of space
exploration. We are excited to be contributing to the global
space ecosystem and strengthening the UK's leadership in this
critical area.
Goonhilly is at the heart of a growing cluster of 300 space
organisations in Cornwall and the South West of England, which
generate an annual income of £600 million and employ 3,200
people.
